According to Edwards, the planet has long served as a pilgrimage site for Jedis, many of whom now are losing faith in their calling. With the forces of the Galactic Empire now occupying Jedha however, our heroes will have to come to terms with their Jedi-hood and liberate the planet:

The Middle Eastern oil conflicts immediately jump to mind, although in the world of Star Wars the precious resource in question is heavily rumored to be Kyber crystals, the precious gems used to create lightsabers for both the Jedi and Sith in years past, which may be harnessed as en energy source for the Death Star’s destructive beams.

“Within Jedha, even though there’s the oppressive foot of the Empire hanging over them, there’s a resistance that won’t give up and our characters have to go and meet people there to try and secure a person from this group,” Edwards added. “In a wider level, there must be loads of people who just believe in the Jedi and believe in the Force and have been affected by it. If it’s a really ancient religion, as Obi-Wan Kenobi said, it’s got to exist in thousands or millions of people in the galaxy.”